This application claims priority to German patent application number 201 13 304.0 filed Aug. 10, 2001. The invention relates to a vehicular interior space module.
Such a vehicular interior space module is, for example, the roof liner module of a vehicle, in which the interior space lining part, having a large surface area, covers the roof on the inside. A further vehicular interior space module is, for example, the door lining together with components coupled thereto. Preferably, electrical or electronic components that are secured to the lining part which in most cases is made of plastics or compressed fiber elements, are lighting devices, switches or a microphone or loudspeaker, for instance for the telephone. During installation, the electrical component is inserted into the opening preferably so as to terminate flush with the lining part on the visible inner side. Providing electrical contact with the cable harness of the vehicle is effected by means of plugs which are expensive in production and require excessive cable lengths, in order to make possible an appropriate installation and removing of the insert. The excessive lengths, in turn, require suitable measures in order to avoid rattling noises.
A cable harness fastening device is known from DE 35 29 660 A1. In this arrangement, a so-called inner side panel having a large surface area is arranged between the raw door structure and the interior space lining; provided in this inner side panel are cables and plugs on cable ends, which all are embedded in the panel by foaming. Additional fasteners are provided to fasten the side panel and the interior space lining to the door frame. During fastening, the plugs embedded in foam will enter in counter plugs on the raw door structure and on the interior space lining in order to make contact. The positioning of the fasteners and of the plugs relative to each other has to be extremely accurate, otherwise plugs and fasteners spaced therefrom can not contact the associated plugs and fasteners on the other part during installation.
From DE 196 53 431 A1 there is known a roof module in which an interior space lining part having a large surface area is provided namely the roof liner. Between the interior space lining and the roof itself, there is arranged a mounting plate which is not visible in the installed state of the module. This mounting plate contains an antenna and a modular circuit block. A reading lamp is inserted e.g. from the rear side into an opening in the mounting plate, i.e. from that side of the mounting plate that faces away from the interior space lining part, and is fixed to the mounting plate. A cover for the lamp is then placed on from the side of the interior space lining part. In addition, an illuminated vanity mirror in the sun visor as well as a rear mirror may be fastened to the mounting plate, even here an expensive plug connector being provided which has to have a defined distance to the mounts for the vanity mirror and the rear mirror, so that during installation of sun visor and rear mirror the plug contacts actually come into contact with each other. The mounting plate and the roof liner are fastened to each other in that a protruding housing which is provided on the rear side of the roof liner is put through an opening in the mounting plate. A counter housing on the mounting plate is provided with contacts and is provided with a swivel bracket coupled with the contacts. The swivel bracket is shifted parallel to the plane of the plate, and the contacts likewise are guided in this plane into the housing on the rear side of the roof liner. The positioning of the parts to each other has to be very accurate, so that the contact pins enter into the openings in the housing on the rear side of the roof liner. Moreover, designing the two housing parts with the shiftable contacts is very complicated and expensive.
It is the object of the invention to provide a vehicular interior space module in which the insert can be fastened to the lining part very easily and quickly, and which nevertheless can be produced at favorable costs. In addition, there should be available an easy option for replacing in the case of servicing.
According to the invention, a vehicular interior space module comprises an interior space lining part that has a large surface area and is visible from inside in a state when installed in a vehicle, the interior space lining part including an opening. The module further comprises an insert which is located in the opening and fastened to the interior space lining part, the insert having an outer housing in which at least one electrical component is arranged. At least one exposed electrical contact surface area is provided on the interior space lining part directly on an edge of the opening, the insert having a device for fastening the insert to the interior space lining part. The device includes a cooperating contact configured such that the contact surface area contacts the cooperating contact in an electrically conductive manner through fastening the insert in the opening. It is in this way that a current flow to and away from the component can be established. In the module according to the invention, there will be madexe2x80x94simultaneously with and by means of the fastening of the insert to the lining partxe2x80x94the electrical contact between a contact surface area on the side of the lining part and the cooperating contact on the insert, so that expensive plugs are not required any longer and also a separate assembling of wire connections will not occur. Due to the fact that the contact surface area is provided directly on the edge and is exposed, an expensive accommodation in a costly housing is not provided. Thus, the device for fastening can directly engage the edge for firmly securing the insert, and the device for fastening serves simultaneously for making electrical contact. The engineering of the device for fastening can be configured to be very simple, because the contact surface area is exposed to the exterior, as already mentioned. Further, larger contact surface areas allow a simple compensation of tolerances.
Preferably, the contact surface area is exposed on the rear side of the interior space lining part facing away from a vehicle interior space and/or on the inner side limiting the opening, and is provided on the rear side or the inner side, i.e. is fastened to the edge of the opening.
There is further provided not only one contact surface area, but so many contact surface areas that the component is connected to the power source and to ground only through these contact surface areas.
The interior space lining part preferably consists of an electrically insulating material.
According to the preferred embodiment, fastening the insert is effected by means of a latching connection, i.e. preferably a connection which does not require any additional fasteners such as screws or the like, with the result of shorter installation times.
In this context, the latching device also serves for making electrical contact, by the contact surface area or the cooperating contact being provided on it.
One embodiment makes provision that the insert has an elastic latching spring that projects outwards transversely to a direction of insertion and forms the cooperating contact.
The latching spring may be configured such that, when the insert is in the installed state, it clamps the edge between it and a protruding collar of the insert. It is due to this clamping action that rattling noises can be safely prevented.
The edge is preferably formed by a reinforcement frame which allows an improved fit of the insert as well as a multiple replacing of the insert, without the edge being severely worn and without having a detrimental effect on the quality of the fastening.
Provided on the reinforcement frame, that preferably is made of an electrically non-conductive material, is the contact surface area, so that no additional, expensive measures have to be made on the remainder of the large-surface lining part in order to make available the contact surface area.
Together with the contact surface area, the reinforcement frame may form a prefabricated part which is fastened to the remainder of the interior space lining part, for instance by foaming, gluing or clipping on.
If the contact surface area is formed by a metal strip, fastened to which is a cable of a cable harness of the vehicle in a plug-free manner, then a further connection through plugs can be dispensed with. Other types of making contact are employed, such as screwing, riveting, welding or brazing. As an alternative, it is possible, of course, that a cable, a conductor track or a printed circuit board leads to the metal strip, with the cable being contacted with the metal strip already at the supplier of the module, so that after the actual installation of the module in the vehicle the other, free cable end is connected to the cable harness.
For the purpose of replacing it, the insert is detachably fastened to the edge.
The insert preferably projects through the opening, so that the insert protrudes into the interior space.